Stoke City 0-0 West Bromwich Albion: Match Analysis

Stoke City have made a habit of contesting close and defensively sound fixtures in front of their home fans over the past few seasons, and their match against West Bromwich Albion was no exception. Neither team could break the deadlock on the day, but the Baggies will certainly be happy to have picked up a point away at the Britannia Stadium.

Key Stats

A fairly even match from the Britannia saw both sides split the possession straight down the middle and both register nine shots in total, but neither could break the deadlock. West Brom finished with more shots on target and will perhaps feel unlucky not to have scored a goal here, but such was the defensive stature of this game—shown most clearly in the incredibly strong tackle success rate that both teams had on the day (95% and 100% respectively).

Man of the Match

As has so often been the case this year, Begovic was again the man to the rescue for Stoke today and was deservedly named as the man of the match. The shot-stopper made several fantastic saves throughout the match — particularly one against Stephane Sessegnon in stoppage time to save a point for the home team — and showed again why he is such a highly-rated Premier League goalkeeper and valuable asset to Stoke City.

Performance Score

A pretty dour affair in terms of Performance Score and it was clearly reflected with both teams registering scores around the 150-point mark. Neither team were able to really break away from their opponents, with West Brom finishing as the stronger of the two teams — perhaps unlucky not to take the three points courtesy of a denied penalty call by Youssouf Mulumbu.

Key observations

The Heat Maps for both teams show just how little action was spent in the penalty box of either team, and thus a draw was perhaps a fair result in the end. The Baggies certainly showed their attacking strength and willingness to get forward once again, as they completed 11 of their 16 attempted take-ons.

A couple of fantastic saves, a non-penalty call certainly didn’t help West Brom’s case, but they were certainly aided by a poor Stoke City side who registered their fourth sub-150 Total Performance Score in as many weeks. They also failed to score in this one —making it their third game in a row without a goal—and leaving Mark Hughes with much to think about before they take on Manchester United in the Premier League next weekend.

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